Derek Tournear, director of the Space Development Agency (SDA) and 2021 Wash100 Award recipient, said virtually in a Defense One panel that the military's goal to establish a network of low Earth orbit satellites is now more reachable as a result of commercialization.
Tournear said launches now cost tens of millions of dollars compared to a few years ago when they would cost hundred-millions of dollars, DOD News reported Monday.
"We now have 20 of our transport satellites on firm-fixed-price contracts at $14.1 million apiece," the director said.
Satellite prices have dropped as the commercial space industry aligns with the commoditization of space, he noted.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is working with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and commercial companies to establish the Department of Defense's space architecture.
